Help, gaaaiiinninggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:10 am

Hi,
I have been steadily gaining weight for the last 4 years, when I went from being pretty trim to being about 20 or 30 pounds overweight. I never dieted before but I decided that I need to get healthy and shed some pounds, so I have been doing NoS since early January and excersizing more since mid-March (not a LOT more, but I went from almost zero to moderate, regular exercise). And the result--I have gained 3 pounds! Trust me, this is 3 pounds above and beyond normal scale +/- a couple of pound fluctuations.

I must admit that I haven't been a perfect NoSer. I have struggled a little and slipped up for a couple of days here and there. But I have been pretty good and I've certainly been eating much more moderately and healthfully than I was before. In addition, my exercise level went from walking now and then about 1 month ago to now jogging a little over mile 4 or 5 times/week and hiking and walking more. I've also gotten back into yoga and and the occasional squash game with a friend. So, I haven't done NoS perfectly, and I'm not running marathons, but I'm eating less, exercising more and gaining weight!?!?!?

NoS has changed my life. I am not complaining about that. I have a healthy relationship with food for the first time in my adult life and I feel GREAT. And I am fully aware that I can't say that NoS isn't working for me if I'm haven't been totally strict about it--I've slipped a few times. I also know that 3 pounds is nothing to freak out over. But I have been making a SERIOUS effort to eat less and exercise more, and I've been actually doing it! For a while! While I realize the importance of being strict, I also know that it is important to forgive myself and get back on that horse so I don't give up all together. And I haven't given up. In spite of some slips, I've brushed myself off and gotten right back on track, and I've been doing NoS mostly consistently for 4 months and exercising very consistently for 1 month. While I didn't worry too much when I didn't lose weight, I didn't expect to GAIN weight!

I am sticking with it, I'm in this for the long haul. And I feel so much better mentally, emotionally, and physically, and that is ALL becuase of NoS. I'm even exercising for the first time in my life thanks to NoS. Feeling great is enough to make me keep doing no sweets, snacks, and seconds and moderate exercise. And I KNOW I need to be more strict, I know. That is important. But I am still extremely discouraged. I thought that in a year of doing this, I could expect to lose at least a few pounds. But I'm almost 1/3 of the way through 1 year and not only have I seen no sign of weight loss, I actually appear to be gaining weight.

I want to give all of my complements and gratitude to Reinhard and everyone else on this board... this is a great idea and you guys are all so supportive and helpful and encouraging. And I know this plan WORKS and is sustainable and do-able. But that is part of why I'm so discouraged. Why can't I do it better? Why isn't it working for me? Everyone says weight loss is a simple equation--eat less, exercise more. Well, I'm eating less and exercising more, what else CAN I do?

chentegt · Post by **chentegt** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:40 am

Bee, congratulations on your new relationship with food, and the motivation to keep exercising for life, I believe those are the most valuable things you are doing.

About the gaining, Let-s see whats Rein's opinion on this, but I hope some tips from my personal experience can help you.

When many weeks have passed and you keep the same weight or gain, it means you are mantaining. The little gain could even be muscle, son don't worry, and dont measure by the scale too often... It tends to confuse. Use the mirror, pants, etc. You say that you have slipped, maybe those small details are having influence in the outcome. Analyze if maybe you have slipped in other aspects... for example, I had not realized when I started No S that my dishes were too big and I was stuffing them over the top... lol... That was making me 'keep' my weight, along with a heavy drinking... When I started to eat a reasonable dish, and moderated my alcohol consumption... I started to drop the lbs.. slowly, but surely.

As I said, anyways, the most important thing is that you are keeping it for the long run, and you sill definitely see success... just adjust a few things, and voila... i'm confident in that. See you around!

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:41 pm

Hi Bee,

I'm sorry you aren't seeing better results. Here are a few ideas/encouragements:

1) you know the story about how muscle weighs more than fat. Well maybe that explains what you are seeing. I'm confident that, if you're overweight, extra muscle will lose you weight in the long run. And while it's frustrating that you're not losing weight, 3 pounds is not a whole lot... I would be careful about jumping to conclusions.

2) are you confident that you are eating less? Or do you feel that you are actually squeezing in a lot of food into the legitimate input opportunities? One nice thing about No-s is that it should make excess obvious -- and give you a platform from which to take further action if necessary. If excess is creeping in, can you see where? Any particular situations, meals, days?

3) Before even considering adding extra rules, I think it's good to tighten compliance with the existing rules as much as possible. You mentioned that you were following the literal rules of No-s pretty well. Maybe it would help to quantify this a bit. About how many failures a month would you estimate? How many non-weekend S-days? Maybe a little tightening is all you need.

4) if you feel that you are in fact eating less, and that your compliance is good, I think the main thing you need is more time. I know patience is very difficult when the scale is not cooperating, but on the bright side you have a healthy psychological relationship with food and your exercise is moderate and sustainable and maybe even fun, from what you describe, so while the waiting may be frustrating, at least you're waiting in a comfortable state.

5) The biggest danger is despair and giving up the habits you've acquired. Do not risk what you've accomplished already with some extreme diet or exercise program. I know it's hard not to start sprinting when you feel you're behind, but keep the pace, remember how many years you have to go. It sounds like you've got some great new habits in place and a great new frame of mind regarding food. Do not risk these. You can succeed keeping these firmly intact. At most it will require some moderate tweaks. At least it will require patience -- and that's a tough "at least." Keep posting here for encouragement and tips and I'm sure we'll get you past this initial hump. You're doing great to keep at it despite an uncooperative scale, just think how easy and pleasant this will become once the scale starts cooperating -- and it will.

Reinhard

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:21 pm

Thanks so much for your suggestions and encouragement. This has given me some things to think about. One thing is that since I'm doing NoS and exercise, I've sort of given myself lisence to sometimes eat quite calorie-dense foods, have that second beer, go nuts on S days, etc. and probably that is just not going to work for me. While I want to be careful of putting crazy extra restrictions on myself that I can't sustain, I think it would do me some good to try to, in general, be more careful about my food choices. Try to eat more vegetables (which I LOVE and which should get even easier with summer approaching!) and lean protein and less pasta and bread for example. And try to shift my thinking so that I really consider potato chips and alcohol, even though they're allowed, as occasional treats and "real" food as my basic source for meals (which I already do to a large extent, but not enough). And I think that grabbing a smaller plate and filling that up rather than a larger plate and filling THAT up might do me a lot of good too.

And I can work on strictness, for sure. Maybe tallying up at the end of each month my failures and non-weekend S days would help me do that. And always going for those 21 days in a row is a good motivator too.

Finally, I think I DO have a few new muscles. And if I keep at it, I think my muscles will get stronger and start to burn those calories for me. And not worry about the scale. It is how we feel that is important.

Bottom line, I'm going to keep at it. I'll try first and foremost to stick to my basic requirements of NoS and moderate, regular exercise, and beyond that, try to make good choices about foods and portion sizes. And practice being PATIENT. How sane and healthy do I sound?

Thanks you NoSers!
B

zoolina · Post by **zoolina** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:47 am

I heard somewhere that muscles, besides weighing more than fat, also hold a lot more water, or, um (not sure of the science) collect a lot more water, especially when muscle is building.

Clearly I don't know what I'm talking about, but it's not at all uncommon to gain 3-5 lbs of water retention when you begin exercising.

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:47 am

Wow Zoolina, that's the best thing I've heard all week!
Thanks!

Post by **reinhard** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:13 pm

You sound incredibly sane and healthy.

Best wishes with your fine tuning, and keep us posted.

Reinhard

Jaxhil · Post by **Jaxhil** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 8:00 pm

I agree with zoolina-in fact I read it in a Bob Greene book my sister gave me awhile back. He says it can mess up the accuracy of your scale reading for quite awhile when beginning an exercise program. Reading about the water weight gain associated with beginning to grow new muscle was very encouraging, as I had noticed the same thing you are noticing.

Knowing about this made it a lot easier not to just throw in the towel, you know? Good luck, and keep it up!

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:11 pm

Thanks Jaxhil,

You guys have NO IDEA how encouraging this all is to me.

About the new exercise program/temporary weight gain thing: I am still not happy about it, but in a way, it is nice to think about the exercise I'm doing having ANY effect on my body. Even if it manifests temporarily as a slight increase on the scale. Exercising more seems to be shifting the balances that my body has settled into after years of no exercise, and that is a good thing in the long run.

jiggapayne · Post by **jiggapayne** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:39 pm

removed

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:07 pm

Okay, now I feel like I need some clarification. What size plate is appropriate? What's considered too big? I think I have normal sized plates in my kitchen, but now I'm wondering if I really do!! Help jiggapayne!
mimi

jiggapayne · Post by **jiggapayne** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:49 pm

mimi, I don't want to hijack Bee's thread, but since I brought up the plate size, I will clarify.

Reinhard leaves the plate size up to you, and he doesn't say how many meals per day. The plate size completely depends on what you have on the plate. If the plate is full of calorie-dense food, you could easily get a full day's worth of calories in one meal. If it's nothing but vegetables and fruit, it might be under 200-300 calories.

Now, No S is not about calories. Just keep your plates sensible: fill them up with lots of vegetables and fruit as your main course, instead of heavy food. You'll have more energy and lose more fat.

cvmom · Post by **cvmom** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:22 pm

Regarding muscles and weight: I heard Bob Greene on one of his recent XM radio shows say that muscles can hold up to 8 pounds of water in the first few months of regular exercise! That is a huge amount. Having said that, it is also important to drink a lot of water when you are exercising.

Bee, I have always found that going by how my jeans fit is a very good way to manage my progress. As a reformed "Weightest", I still suffer from scale anxiety. I have even gone to the Doctor's office and when they put me on the scale, turned the other way! We give too much power to the number. I like to focus on how I feel and how my clothing fits.

Dru

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:05 am

Bee, another thing I've found to be extremely helpful in addition to regular "exercise" (jogging, hiking, walking, and so on) is just increasing your activity on a daily basis. My activity has increased substantially in the last week (with everything else remaining the same) and I've lost 5 pounds.

thtrchic · Post by **thtrchic** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 1:04 am

Wow, Wosnes that seems like a lot. What kinds of extra daily activity kinds of things have you been doing?

Julie

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:21 pm

Jiggapayne,
Thanks for your advice, and you're right, there is room for improvment in my NoS habits. But I disagree with your logic here. I don't think that I've lost pounds of fat and replaced it with equivalent muscles times 2. That would be a lot of muscle. I've been maintaining my weight since January when I started NoS. This was a step in the right direction (I had been gaining weight before that) and was all thanks to NoS. So, it seems that I am eating less, truly. But not enough to lose weight at the rate I wanted. Then, I recently and suddenly gained a couple of pounds coincident with beginning exercise, which, it turns out is fairly common.

I think it makes sense. My somewhat imperfect NoSing allowed me to maintain rather than lose weight, which is not what I would have liked, but is understandable. Adding exercise to that and working on tweaking my NoS habits can't hurt over the long run, and I think I have every reason to believe that it eventually it will lead to weight loss.

I'm not about to start adding more rules after only one month. I am in this for the long haul and my goal is to slowly but surely develop good habits I can keep for the rest of my life and enjoy the good life (including wonderful foods and fun physical activities) in the process. I do intend to keep improving though--to work on being stricter about the NoS rules (although I think I gave the impression that I only halfway follow it or something... not at all, honestly, I'm really pretty good, I've just struggled a couple of times. Check my daily check-in if you want to know the gory details.) and try to make healthy food choices and increase the amount of exercise I do as I get into better shape.

So I think I will stick with my plan. I want to lose about 25 pounds in the next 20 months and I think I can do it this way.

jiggapayne · Post by **jiggapayne** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:06 am

Bee, I wonder if I misunderstood you.

You said you've been eating less and exercising more for several months, and the only change is a 3 lb weight gain. You asked us why you haven't lost weight, and asked what else you can do.

People responded with talk about muscle, patience, etc. You said you'd use smaller plates, eat more vegetables and less junk. So, that is good.

I didn't say you gained muscle; I said the contrary. But that's irrelevant, because gaining muscle and keeping your fat is not your goal. So if your smaller plates and more vegetables don't do it for you soon, adjust your program. That's what I'm saying.

Good luck. I look forward to reading about your progress.

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:22 am

Yah, I know you didn't say that, but you implied that I misguidedly thought that I'd gained a lot of muscle to account for my recent gain.

I KNOW I've gained a little bit of muscle, I can feel my muscles hurting the day after I've exercised them! It feels GREAT!

cvmom · Post by **cvmom** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:48 pm

This may seem strange, but have you had your thyroid checked? I have heard that sometimes can affect things.

D.

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:52 pm

cvmom,
Just to clarify, do you mean with respect to my weight gain?
I think I did about a year ago when I was getting a bunch of tests for something that turned out to be nothing, but maybe it is something to keep in mind. I expect (hope!) that this will just reverse itself and I'll be on my way, but I will keep that in mind if things get wackier (for lack of a better word).
Thanks!
B

Bee · Post by **Bee** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 11:53 pm

Well, not that this matters really very much at ALL in the larger scheme of things, but I jumped on the scale again today and I seem to be back down to my previous weight. Who knows WHAT was/is going on!

That stupid scale, it is always up to no good!!!

Anyway, I will admit it did put a smile on my face to see that. But I take it with a grain of salt and will keep on keepin' on.

As always, thanks for everyone's great ideas and support.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:02 pm

Bee - Congratulations! But I'd like to say that I HATE scales! We give them way too much power in our lives. I'm almost at the point where I'm thinking about chucking my scales out the window!
mimi